<p><span><span>- The last time we heard from beloved Brisbane institution Custard, they were maturing gracefully with their last long-player 2017’s <em>The Common Touch</em>. Their trademark way with a catchy ditty was balanced by strings, horns and a reflective feel that one may not traditionally associate with the band. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>It was a good fit for them nonetheless and this gentler Custard can certainly be experienced on new album <em>Respect All Lifeforms</em>. But it’s overall a more extroverted record and the album’s stylistic diversity harks back to the band’s ‘90's heyday. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>The first three tracks show how this is a more unpredictable ride than their last album. We open with <em>Couple’s Fight</em>, a tune destined to become a Custard live favourite with its punky, catchy boisterousness and tragicomic observation of, well, a couple’s fight! There’s a touch of bossanova in the swingin’ tune <em>Funky Again</em>, with one of <strong>Dave McCormack</strong>’s many winning hooks to be found throughout the album. Next follows a sad/nostalgic ballad entitled <em>Harlequin Records</em>, named after the Brisbane record store that was better known as Toombul Music in the ‘90s. There’s even a near-gospel feel in the chorus when the rising choirs kick in. So that’s three songs in, and we’ve already had a heck of a journey. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Fortunately for us, the journey doesn’t lag for the rest of the record either. The diversity is helped further by the return of guitarist <strong>Paul Medew</strong> to songwriting, contributing a fuzzed-up<strong> Elvis Costello And The Attractions</strong>-esque winner in <em>Wishing</em>, while he’s channelling <strong>Colin Moulding</strong>’s<strong> XTC</strong> in <em>Like People</em>. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>As you’d expect, there’s a couple of great tunes from drummer <strong>Glenn Thompson</strong> as well, especially the pop goodness of <em>A Cat Called No</em>. Long-time fans will get a kick out of the band’s cover of <strong>Camper Van Beethoven</strong>’s <em>Take The Skinheads Bowling</em>, a track beloved of many Brisbane indie bands in the ‘80s and ‘90s. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Elsewhere, on the beautiful <em>The Min Min Lights</em>, Dave McCormack pens a <strong>Grant McLennan</strong>-worthy showstopper. Basically, all of Custard’s strengths can be found on this album – witty, observational lyrics and loads of really memorable hooks. In its strange, genre-bending way, this could well be the catchiest album Custard have ever made. </span></span></p>
<p><span><span>- Matt Thrower.</span></span></p>
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